Functional characterization of novel regulators involved in respiratory tube size regulation and luminal liquid clearance in Drosophila airways

• Applicant: Privatdozent Dr. Matthias Behr
• Subject Area: Developmental Biology
• Term: from 2004 to 2009
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 5438622

• Final Report Year: 2009

Final Report Abstract

The Drosophila tracheal system and the mammalian lung are branching networks of tubular epithelia that deliver oxygen to the organism and conduct gas exchange. Both organ systems develop branches of distinct diameter and length and they convert during late embryogenesis from liquid- to air-filling. Little is known, on how respiratory tube size and physiology are co-ordinately controlled. During the funding period, I have discovered a number of novel key regulators that control embryonic airway physiology and function in Drosophila. These regulators include the insect specific obstructer-A (obst-A) and evolutionary highly conserved factors as firewall (fill), outburst (ort) and wurst.

Publications

• Identification of the novel evolutionary conserved obstructor multigene family in invertebrates. FEBS Lett. 2005 Dec 19;579(30):6827-33. Epub 2005 Nov 28
  Behr M, Hoch M.
  
• Wurst is essential for airway clearance and respiratory-tube size control. Nat Cell Biol. 2007 Jul;9(7):847-53. Epub 2007 Jun 10
  Behr M, Wingen C, Wolf C, Schuh R, Hoch M
  
• The Wurst protein: A novel endocytosis regulator involved in airway clearance and respiratory tube size control. Cell Adh Migr. 2009 Jan 1;3(1). [Epub ahead of print]
  Wingen C, Aschenbrenner AC, Stümpges B, Hoch M, Behr M